Counter display cases



Oct. 3, 1961 w. cs. MICHAELSEN COUNTER DISPLAY CASES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 22, 1958 INVENTOR. Will/AM 6. M/(CHAEZSEW ATTORNEY Oct. 3, 1961 w. G. MICHAELSEN COUNTER DISPLAY CASES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 22, 1958 INVENTOR. W/M/AM 4;. M/[HAH 5m ATOPEA/ United States Patent 3,002,795 COUNTER DISPLAY CASES William G. Michaelsen, Egan, Ill., assignor to Rockford Show Case & Fixture Co., Rockford, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 730,132

9 Claims. (Cl. 312-118) My invention relates to counter display cases for holding combs or similar small pieces of merchandise in storage and on display. More particularly, my invention comprises a swingable sample carrying display lid or cover and a storage cabinet or receptacle. This display cover comprises a shallow tray-like container provided with a fixed transparent front or face panel and openable back, and the cover either lies flat over the mouth of the cabinet, facing upwardly, or it is swung to a vertical or display position, facing forwardly toward the open mouth of the cabinet, While the weight of the cover is then supported by contact of a forward edge portion thereof on top of the rear portion of the cabinet. 7 The cover is pivotally connected to the cabinet only by a pair of parallel links pivotally attached to opposite ends of the cover and cabinet. 7 V

In the preferred form, the links are provided with crank arm extensions, the crank pin ends of which are arranged, to engage supporting surfaces on the back of the base of the cabinet for greater stability of the cover in its raised or vertical position.

In the modified or alternative form, the crank portions are dispensed with, and wedging engagement of an enlarged area of contact is relied on for good support of the cover, by forming wing-like enlargements on the sides of the cover, the ends of which wing-like enlargements rest upon the upper edges of the side walls of the cabinet or receptacle when the cover is raised to display position.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved counter display case consisting of a cover and cabinet, constructed and combined in the novel manner outlined above, enabling use of the case interchangeably in the old conventional way, where a salesperson handles the sales, or as a self-service unit, as may be preferred at times in certain stores, or with certain classes and kinds of merchandise.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of counter display case, showing the cover in dotted lines in open position;

FIG. 2 is a centralvertical section;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation, and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are. corresponding views of the other form.

Similar reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in these views.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the rectangular cabinet 7 comprises front and rear walls 8 and 9 parallel to each other, and side wall-s 10 and 11 parallel to each other. The

horizontal bottom edges 12 of side walls 10 and 11 provide supporting surfaces or feet 13 for the cabinet while the upper edges 14 thereof are inclined with respect to said bottom edges, the upper edges forming part of the mouth of the cabinet or receptacle. A bottom panel 15 is provided for the cabinet parallel to said upper edges to rest neatly in closed position onthe upper edges of the four vertical walls of the cabinet, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. The front or face panel 20 of this doublewalled cover is a transparent element usually of glass fixed in a frame 21 so that display samples of the merchandise stored in the cabinet 7 under the cover may be mounted on the openable opaque back panel 22 hinged or otherwise secured in the frame 21, such samples being suitably secured to the back panel 22, as indicated at 23.

The connecting means in this counter display case comprises the aforementioned pair of parallel links 18, one at each end of the case pivoted at 24 to the side walls 10 and 11 of the cabinet, the pivots 24 being near to the crank pins 17. The other ends of the links are pivotally connected, as at 25, to the opposite ends of the frame 21, nearer the front beaded edge 26 thereof. This edge 26 fits neatly in a longitudinally extending groove 27 provided in the upper edge of the back wall 9 and in registering notches 28 provided in the upper edges of the cabinet side walls 10 and 11 at the rear thereof.

In operation, the counter display case looks and serves equally well when used either way, with cover 19 down, as shown in FIG. 1, full lines, and in FIG. 3, or with said cover up, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 and in section in FIG. 2. The cover can be raised easily at 29, FIG. 3, by a salesperson standing behind the display case, as when a customer asks for an item 23 identified in the cover, and in that way a corresponding item can be taken out of the cabinet 7. The cover 19 can be shifted easily from its reclining position to its standing position, and is securely supported in that position by the links 18 held rigid by pins 17 in notches 16. The head 26 engaging in groove 27 and notches 28 holds the cover 19 against pivotal movement relative to the links 18.

Referring now to the modified form, FIGS. 4-6 show a similar counter display case with a swingable cover '19 having the arms 30 of a U-shaped rod member pivoted by their inwardly bent ends 31 in the opposite sides of the cover, the cross-portion 32 of the U-shaped rod member being pivotally connected by bearings 33 to the back of the cabinet 7'. i

The cover 19 of this form has a double-wall construction with openable opaque back panel 22 and a fixed transparent front or face panel 20 for display of sample articles placed therein. The forwardly flaring side walls 34 of the cover 19' normally, in closed position, extend upwardly from the plane of the transparent panel 20', providing greater height at the front and tapering toward the rear, where they terminate in upwardly and rearwardly extending disklike handle projections or knobs 35. These knobs 35 are to be grasped by the salesperson in raising the back portion of the cover. Between the panels 34 is the frame 21' in which are carried the panels 20 and'22'. The cabinet 7 is of greater depth at the back than at the front. This enables placing of shallower displays 36 at the front and others 37 requiring more headroom at the back.

In operation, the cover 19' is supported in rigid relationship to the cabinet 7, as inclined surfaces 38 on the wider ends of the side walls 34 on the cover 19' have wedging engagement on the inclined top surfaces 39 on the sides of the base 7' at the rear portion thereof, when the cover is set up as shown on FIG. 5. When the cover 19' is laid down, as in FIG. 6, the salesperson can easily gain access to the inside of cabinet 7' by lifting the rear portion of the cover 19 by means of handles 35.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. A display device adapted for displaying merchandise, comprising a boxlike receptacle adapted for housing merchandise. for display and storage having rectangularly related upright front, side, and rear walls forming a mouth, and a swingable rectangular lidlike cover having a rectangular transparent face wall in closely spaced parallel relationship to an opaque rectangular back wall, said cover being unattached at either of its front and rear ends relative to said receptacle and adapted to closethe mouth of the receptacle in one position with the transparent face wall of the cover on the upper side for display of merchandise in said cover and to stand upright edgewise on its front end on the upright rear Wall of the receptacle in a second position with the transparent face wall of the cover on the forward side for display of merchandise in said cover, and a pair of rigid parallel links which are pivotally connected at one end to the opposite sides of the cover intermediate the front and rear ends thereof and at their other end to the opposite sides of the receptacle at the rear portion thereof and serve to connect the cover to the receptacle for movement from one of said two positions to the other.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which each of said links has a crank portion on the end portion pivoted on said receptacle, said crank portion including a crank arm with a transverse crank pin rigid therewith arranged in the upright position to engage a surface on the receptacle to limit pivotal movement of the links relative to said receptacle for better support of the cover in upright position.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said receptacle and one edge portion of said cover have portions arranged to interfit in the upright position of the cover for more secure and rigid support of the cover in the upright position.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the cover in upright position is aligned with the rear wall of the cabinet, said cabinet having side walls adjoining the ends of said rear wall, said side walls being each provided with a rearwardly facing notch into the inner end of which a laterally extending pin on the second end of the adjacent link is arranged to engage in the upright position of the cover, said cabinet being provided with a sloping bottom connecting the side walls and lying above the notches, the portions of the side Walls below the notches providing supporting feet for the device.

5. A display cabinet comprising a rectangular receptacle having an upright front wall and an upright rear wall and upright connecting side walls forming a mouth, the top of said upright rear wall being higher than the top of said upright front wall, the upright side walls increasing in height from their juncture with the upright front wall to their juncture with the upright rear wall, a rectangular double wall cover swingably connected at its opposite sides with the opposite sides of the receptacle by links pivoted at one end to the opposite sides of the cover intermediate the front and rear ends thereof, and at their other end to the side walls of the receptacle at the rear portion thereof, said cover having therein a transparent rectangular face panel and an opaque rectangular back panel forming said double wall and providing a show space therebetween, said cover adapted in a reclining position to close the mouth of the receptacle while lying flat thereon with the transparent face panel upward for display purposes, and adapted also in an upright position to stand on said receptacle in edgewise vertical alignment with the rear wall thereof with the transparent face panel of the cover facing forwardly toward the front of the receptacle for display purposes, said cover being provided with forwardly flaring side members, the wide front ends of which have flat end surfaces so spaced from the pivotal connections of said links with the opposite sides of the cover in relation to the length of said links, and so inclined in relation to the top of said receptacle in the upright position of the cover that said cover is arranged to have wedging engagement on top of said receptacle at the rear of the side portions thereof in the upright position of the cover.

6. A display cabinet comprising an open-top box-like base for reception of articles to be displayed, said base having rectangularly related front, side and rear Walls, the rear wall having a longitudinally extending groove provided therein in the top edge thereof, and a swingable lid-like cover of hollow construction having a transparent face wall through which articles placed in the cover are visible for display purposes, said cover being unattached at either of its front and rear ends relative to said receptacle and adapted to lie over and close the open top of the base in one position with the transparent face wall upward for display of merchandise in said cover and to stand upright edgewise on its front end on the rear end of said base in a second position with the transparent face wall on the forward side for display of merchandise in said cover, said cover having a longitudinally extending head on its front end engageable in the aforementioned groove in the rear wall to prevent displacement of said cover from its upright position, and a pair of rigid parallel links on opposite sides of said cabinet pivotally connected at one end to the base and at the other end to the side edges of the cover intermediate the front and rear ends thereof, whereby to support the cover in upright position.

7. A display cabinet comprising a rectangular opentop box-like base for reception of articles to be displayed, said base having front, side and rear walls, the base being of tapered form, high at the back and low at the front, whereby the side walls have forwardly inclined upper edges, a swingable lid-like cover of hollow construction having a transparent face wall through which articles placed in said cover are visible for display purposes, said cover adapted to lie over and close the top of said base in one position and to stand upright edgewise on its front end on the rear portion of said base in a second position with its transparent face wall on the forward side, said cover being of tapered form, higher at the front than at the rear, the front surface of said cover being inclined to match the inclination of the top edges of the side walls of the base in the upright position of the cover, whereby to have Wedging engagement on said base. in the upright position, and link means pivotally connected to the rear portion of the base at one end and to the sides of the cover intermediate the front and rear ends thereof at the other end, said link means being of a length slightly less than the greatest distance from the front surface of said cover to the pivotal connection of said link means with the sides of the cover, whereby to support said cover rigidly in its wedged upright position.

8. A display cabinet comprising a rectangular opentop base wherein articles to be displayed can be placed, a rectangular lid-like cover of hollow construction having a transparent face wall through which articles placed in the cover are visible for display purposes, a pair of rigid parallel links on opposite sides of said cabinet pivotally connected at one, end to the base at the rear thereof and to the cover intermediate the front and rear ends thereof at the other end, whereby to support the cover in an upright position with the front end of the cover resting on the rear portion of the base and with the transparent face wall of the cover on the forward side, and interengaging means on the front end of the cover and rear upper portion of the base cooperating with said links to prevent displacement of the lower edge of the cover relative to the base in the upright position of said cover, said inter-engaging means in the upright position of the cover being spaced from the pivotal connection of said links with the sides of the cover slightly more than the 6 length of said links, whereby the cover is supported rigidly References Cited in the file of this patent in upright position.

9. A display cabinet as set forth in claim 6, including UNITED STATES PATENTS means positively limiting pivotal movement of said links 377,039 Marshall I an. 31, 1888 in one direction when they have been swung in that di- 5 516,005 Geer Mar. 6, 1894 rection to reach a position supporting said cover in the 566,765 Hudson Sept. 1, 1896 upright position with the longitudinally extending bead 756,466 Brewer Apr. 5, 1904 on the front end of the cover engaged in the longitudinally 1,511,774 Rifkin Oct. 14, 192A extending groove in the top edge of the rear wall of said 2,691,560 'Beck Oct. 12, 1954 base. 10 

